The Years Without a Summer
by IHaveTheKeyToYourHeart
Summary: Eclare FUTURE FIC. After their summer of love, Eli and Clare went their separate ways. They haven't seen each other in years. After one very unexpected reunion, everything about their lives starts to change. But will it change for the better or for the worst?
1. That One Summer

She had stubby fingers. He would tease her about them excessively. She would playfully smack him on the shoulder and tell him to stop, while giggling uncontrollably. He would grab at them, and she would try to stop him from doing so. She almost never succeeded at this though, and he was usually able to intertwine his fingers with hers. Then he would pin her down on the sand, their hands locked together, and kiss her all over her pretty little face while she squealed.

The days spent at the beach seemed to never end. Both of them had the exact same routine every single day: wake up, get dressed, go to the beach, come home at sunset, go to bed, repeat. Neither of them ever got bored with their schedule. The beach was where they belonged. The beach was _theirs._ They would go swimming, lie in the sun, cuddle, play in the sand and take lazy naps. They would snack on the food from the beach's food stand or from the picnic lunches they took turns bringing. Sometimes they would go on hikes through the woods directly behind the beach. On rainy days, they would play games on the boardwalk, underneath the overhangs. But most of the time, they just sat and talked about absolutely everything. They never got bored of hearing each other's voices. They always wanted to know more about each other. They talked about their pasts, how much they loved the present, and their hopes and dreams for the future. Of course, they wanted to get married. They frequently talked about how their wedding would be like. They dreamed about their future children and family. The way they saw it, they had everything all figured out. All the harms they had faced in their pasts they mended together. There were no worries. There were no fears. They were together, and they had countless days to look forward to. But they were young and foolish. The summer started to fade into fall. What seemed like infinite hours in the summer sun came to a grueling close. They were sad they had to leave their special beach, but they would still be together. They were both going to attend the same college. Their college didn't require them to stay in the dorms freshman year, so they opted to rent an apartment together. They had it all figured it out. Nothing could go wrong, that is, until the tan envelope showed up on her doorstep three afternoons before she was supposed to leave with him. It was from a college, on the other side of the country, which was practically begging for her to enroll with them, even though it was so last minute. Their enrollment plummeted with lots of students switching at the last second, and they needed students to fill those vacant spots. They were offering a wide range of scholarship options, some that were pretty hard to pass by. Her first thought was to throw the envelope's contents in the paper shredder. There was just no way. Even though this college was her first pick, they had waitlisted her originally so she had had to pick other plans. So she obviously chose to go to _his_ number one pick. She had all the arrangements set up and ready to go. She was ready to start the next chapter of her life with him. Even though the college they were going to was great for the major he wanted, it didn't have the best programs for her major. But she never complained. She just wanted to be with him. But she told him everything so she ended up showing him the envelope. He was shocked. What kind of a boyfriend would he be if he let her pass up this great opportunity because of himself? So no matter how hard it was for him, he insisted she go. She resisted. She didn't understand why he wanted her to go away. Didn't he want her right by his side just as badly as she wanted to be there? She was hurt. She thought he had suddenly changed his mind about their future, and was jumping on the first chance he could to get rid of her. Did the summer mean nothing? Did their three year relationship mean nothing? Was it just a fling? Was everything he said a lie? Was his talk cheap? She didn't know what to think. She didn't know what to do. He tried his best to explain to her from his point of view. He tried to get her to understand that he wanted her to go _because_ he loved her so much. But no matter how hard he tried to get her see, she just couldn't understand. So she ended it before she thought he could. 2 hours before the time they would have both been leaving to go to freshman orientation at the original college they had planned on attending, she ended it. All of her belongings she had packed and ready to go didn't end up in his hearse that day; they ended up in a different vehicle, headed in the opposite direction. And so just like that, it was all over. No more lazy summer days at the beach. Never again would they confess their deepest secrets to each other. Never again would they fantasize about the days to come with one another. And with that, they never saw each other again.

**A/N: Hey guys! So this is obviously just the little Prologue before the story. And this will obviously be a future fic. Sorry if it is slightly OOC in this, but it will definitely all be back on track in the first actual chapter. Also, lots of the background information will be filled in bit by bit as the story goes on, so you will get more details about Eclare's summer of love. I am really excited for this story and I am planning on having it be a pretty long one. Please review and keep watching for this story, I am planning on making this my main one. Thanks!**

**Tumblr – stevie-spectacularrr**


	2. Cat out of the Bag

"What do you think Jaime?" Clare asked, spinning slightly in her mid-calf length baby blue cocktail dress. The skirt of the dress was slightly puffy, with lots of tulle, and the top was a sparkly halter. Jaime spun around in her desk chair and gave Clare a once over, then wrinkled her nose in disgust.

"We're going to a party Clare, not your grandma's birthday dinner." Jaime said, shaking her head. Clare's face fell.

"I thought it was cute. And the color brings out my eyes, right?" Clare asked, the disappointment evident in her voice. Clare turned towards the full length mirror on Jaime's closet door and stared at her reflection. She personally loved the dress. It was one of her favorites.

"The color _does _work for you, I'll give you that." Jaime said, standing up and walking towards the closet. "But that dress says middle-school-winter-formal more than it says end-of-the-school-year-college-bash."

"Oh." Clare said, staring at the tulle, playing with the smooth fabric. She had owned the dress for quite some time now, but she didn't think it was that bad. But Clare had to admit to herself, her fashion sense had really plummeted during her college years. During her sophomore year, she had decided to pick up a second major. She was already majoring in English and minoring in Creative Writing, but she decided to add a Journalism major to the bunch. It was a lot to handle. So because of all of that, she had spent the majority of her college days buried in books, instead of out and about. Luckily, she had Jaime's beauty brain to help her with all of that stuff. Jaime had been her best friend the entire time she had been in college. They were dorm roommates their freshman year at the University of British Columbia, and after that they had rented an apartment together while they still attended classes. Jaime switched her major a lot, so because of that she spent five years trying to get her bachelor's degree, just like Clare. Now as they approached the end of their fifth school year, the reality of graduation was starting to sink in. Most of their friends were younger than them since most of the friends they had made their freshman year had long since graduated. A lot of them were throwing end of the year parties at their apartments, and tonight's party would be the first of many. Clare was excited to graduate, but nervous at the same time. She knew that she would start having to look for jobs and such, and she was starting to feel really _old._ She was almost twenty three years old. It seemed like just yesterday that she was an awkward high school freshman, and here she was now, ready to start her life. It was scary.

Jaime was digging through her closet madly and Clare knew she was on a mission. Jaime never let her leave the apartment unless she thought Clare's outfit was on par and that she looked presentable. So a lot of the time, Clare ended up wearing Jaime's clothes. There were only a few instances were Clare was able to step out of the apartment wearing her own clothing. Which is why Clare didn't really shop anymore. Not that she had time to anyway. But Clare didn't mind. Jaime's clothes were modern and stylish and made Clare feel confident.

Jaime was barely even visible she was so far into the back of her closet. After a few more minutes of rummaging, she stepped back, her long, blonde hair a mess. She was holding a short, body-con style, aqua party dress and black peep-toe high heels. A little more revealing then the clothing Jaime usually picked out for Clare.

Clare stared at the dress. It was pretty and she liked the color, no doubt about that. "I like it but it's a little," Clare paused. "Out there."

Jaime rolled her eyes. "Just put it on. Have I ever let you down?"

And with that Jaime walked up to Clare, dropped the clothing into her arms and proceeded back to her desk chair.

Clare sighed softly and left Jaime's room to go back to her own. She changed into the dress, which was very tight. After Clare had slipped the heels on, she looked at herself in the mirror. It didn't look that bad, in fact, Clare really liked how it looked on her. It wasn't as short as she had originally thought it to be, and it did look more appropriate for the type of party. Clare then opened her bedroom door a crack and stuck her head out.

"Thanks Jaime!" she called. She then heard Jaime's laugh followed by "Anytime, Hun."

Clare then went to her closet and pulled out her jewelry box, looking for accessories to match. Just as she was trying to decide between pearl earrings and black drop dangle earrings, her phone rang. Clare set the jewelry down on her bed and picked her phone up off of her desk.

_Casey._

Clare smiled to herself. Casey was her boyfriend of a year and a half. They had met in their International Broadcasting class during Clare's fourth year. Casey was a year younger than Clare, but was still graduating this year just like her. They were fairly serious, and Clare could see herself marrying him one day.

"Hi!" Clare answered, the smile even evident in her voice. Even the thought of Casey had the powerful effect to change Clare's mood completely, no matter what the situation.

"Hey babe," Casey replied, sounding somewhat breathless. "Just got done with my workout. When do you want me to pick you up?"

Clare glanced at the antique Japy Freres et Cie clock she had splurged on and was currently resting on her bedside table. The party was supposed to start around 8 o'clock and it was already almost 7.

"Can you get here in like a half an hour?" Clare asked. "And do you mind driving Jaime too?"

Casey laughed. "I just assumed I was driving her anyway."

Neither Clare nor Jaime had a car and most of the time their main form of transportation was the city bus, or sometimes Casey's silver GMC. And Casey never complained about driving them every now and again. But Clare was secretly saving up for a small red Mazda, because she wasn't planning on staying in Vancouver for long after graduation. Although, she hadn't exactly told Casey or Jaime that because she wasn't really sure how they would take that. Although Clare did love Vancouver, she knew that she wanted to have a job in Toronto, her home. She only got to go home during school breaks, and during her summers she only got to spend a week or two at each of her parents' homes. Vancouver was a great place to spend her college years, but it just wasn't where she felt she _belonged._

Jaime was born and raised a true Vancouverite and Clare knew she never had any intention of leaving. Casey on the other hand was from Montreal and didn't exactly wanna go back there after graduation. He didn't have the best relationships with his family members and was basically on his own in Vancouver. Clare didn't know how willing he'd be to come back with her to Toronto, since Casey had a lot of new friends here in Vancouver. She hoped and prayed he would come with her; otherwise their relationship might have to end because she knew how Casey felt about long distance relationships. Casey's girlfriend before Clare was his high school sweetheart and when Casey went to Vancouver for college, she stayed back in Montreal. They tried for awhile to the long distance thing, but it failed tragically. After that, Clare knew he had vowed to himself to never get involved in another relationship like that. But Clare needed them to stay together. Casey helped her through a very difficult time last year when she was dealing with the death of her cousin from a car accident and the stress of schoolwork. He was also there for her at any other little crisis and showed her that things would always be okay. Clare loved him with all of her heart and couldn't see herself without him. That's why she had been procrastinating on dropping the news about her plans after graduation. She feared what would happen to them as a couple.

"Sure, I will be there in half an hour." Casey confirmed. "See you in a few."

X

Clare was not much of a drinker. Unfortunately for her, Jaime and Casey definitely liked to drink as much as a normal college student would and were both already drunk. And the party had just started forty five minutes ago. Jaime was the focal point of the room, wearing black hot shorts and a silver, glittery tank top. She easily had the utmost attention of every single guy in the room. That's how things usually worked out. Jaime was always the center of attention. Clare was more of the behind-the-scenes kind of girl. Not that Clare minded, most of the time. Clare used to get slightly jealous whenever she and Jaime went to parties and Clare was slightly ignored while Jaime became a social butterfly. But ever since Clare started dating Casey, she was never jealous. Jaime was single right now, and Clare felt bad for her. True love was not comparable to having a million friends and disgusting guys drooling over you, at least in Clare's honest opinion.

"Are you having a good time?" Clare whispered in Casey's ear. He was drunk, but Casey held his liquor well. Sure, he was acting drunk, but he could act perfectly sober if the matter called upon it.

"Yeah, babe, totally." he replied, laughing drunkenly. Clare couldn't help but giggle at him. His drunken voice was kind of cute.

"Looks like I will be driving us home tonight. Hand over the keys, mister." Clare said, grabbing at Casey's pant pockets, in search of his key ring.

Casey groaned playfully. "Aw man. The policewoman is on patrol."

"The _policewoman,_" Clare imitated him. "Is being responsible. And I am always the designated driver anyway."

Clare pulled the key ring out of his pocket, twirling it around her index finger.

"Why don't you loosen up a little bit? At least have one or two drinks babe. It's a party."

Clare rolled her eyes at him and then held her plastic red cup in his face. "What did you think was in here, ginger ale?"

"That's my girl." Casey laughed, putting his arm around her and settling back on to the couch they were on.

Clare took a sip of her mixed drink, the alcohol burning slightly down her throat. It was her one and only drink of the night. Clare had only been drunk a few times during her college years, and was definitely not a fan of it. She got very sloppy, very fast. It wasn't pretty. She preferred to drink respectfully now.

Casey had his arm on Clare's shoulder and was rubbing her arm. Clare smiled, feeling instantly relaxed by his touch. Clare turned her face towards him and stared into his chocolate brown eyes that she loved so much and placed a sweet kiss on his lips, tasting the alcohol on his breath. Then she ruffled his short brown hair and laughed.

"Hey, I worked hard on this 'do." Casey said, pinching her cheeks gently. Clare swatted his hand off and giggled.

They sat in silence for awhile, just observing the people around them. Jaime was across the room, pretty drunk, but not at all sloppy yet. When she got to a certain point, Clare would step in and drag her home, but it wasn't time for that yet. She seemed to be enjoying herself, talking to a tall guy wearing sunglasses and a grey beanie. The guy seemed to be enjoying himself quite a bit as well.

All of a sudden, the door to the apartment the party was taking place in burst open, and several recognizable dorm advisors walked in casually. There was a big uproar of boo's and cuss words. The dorm advisors shrugged it off and headed to the refreshment table. Clare was beyond confused.

Clare turned towards Casey to gauge his reaction, but he was passed out. Clare groaned, it would be a pain in the ass to try to get him home now. She didn't even think he had been _that_ drunk.

She leaned over to the couch that was next to the one she was on and taped the girl that was sitting on it on the shoulder. The girl turned around and Clare recognized her from school, but didn't know her name. The girl smiled, friendly.

"Why are the dorm advisors here?" Clare asked. Clare was watching them grab drinks and recognized one of them as Violet, the dorm advisor she had during her freshman year. In the time she lived in the dorms, she had actually befriended Violet. They hadn't talked since freshman year though.

"It's tradition," the girl said. "The dorm advisors always find out where the end-of-the-year parties are and try to crash each one."

Clare laughed at how ridiculous it sounded. She had never heard of anything like that happening at other colleges.

"Well, alright then." Clare said, smiling at the girl.

Clare watched in amusement as the dorm advisors were slightly harassed by the partygoers. They didn't seem to care at all though, that is, until someone dumped a drink on Violet's head.

Violet seemed calm at first, then she reached behind her in a swift motion, grabbing a drink, and dumped it back on the girl who had dumped one on her. The girl shrieked and walked off, while the rest of the dorm advisors laughed hysterically.

Clare couldn't help but smile. Violet was always so amusing; pulling pranks on the college students, walking in on dorm parties and helping herself to whatever was being served. That's why Clare had liked her so much. She encouraged everyone having fun and sometimes, was just like another college student. But at the same time she was like a motherly figure, secretly making sure everyone partied safely.

Violet caught sight of Clare and smiled, making her way through the hoard of college students so she could get to Clare. Clare stood up and Violet enveloped her in a big hug.

"Long time no see!" Violet exclaimed, pulling back from Clare but still holding on to her arms.

Clare shrugged, smiling, then reached behind herself to grab a handful of napkins from the side table next to the couch. Violet nodded appreciatively and started to wipe the drink off of her face and neck.

"Sorry about that. I was always meaning to stop by the dorms to talk to you but I guess I just never got around to it."

"Am I not important?" Violet joked. "It's okay. I get it; you college kids have crazy lives."

"No doubt about that." Clare agreed. Violet glanced at Casey for a second, and then looked back at Clare.

"Aren't you supposed to be gone by now?" Violet asked curiously. "Or are you going for a Master's?"

"Nope, no Master's. At least I don't think I am going to be coming back for that. I added on another major my sophomore year. It took a little bit longer to get all the credits I needed, so I was back for another year."

"Ah," Violet noted. "Always such a nerd."

Clare pretended to be shocked and Violet laughed.

"Got any idea of what the hell you are going to do after this?" Violet asked. Clare glanced back at Casey, who was still passed out, then turned back to Violet.

"I'm going home actually. I am hoping to find a job out there."

Violet wrinkled her nose and put her hands on her hips. "Where are you from again?"

"Toronto."

"Ah, that's right. Well, that's great for you. Don't forget about us Vancouverites."

"Never ever!"

Violet smiled. "Well good luck to you. I know what I should do; I should give you my email address. That way, you can't fall off the face of the earth again."

Clare laughed and Violet wrote her email down on a clean napkin. Clare assured her that she would send lots of emails, and then Violet hugged her one last time and headed to the bathroom to clean herself off.

Clare put the napkin in her purse and plopped back down on the couch but as soon as she sat down, Casey stumbled up and quickly stormed off before Clare could say a word. Clare stared after him, taken aback. When the realization hit, all the blood drained from Clare's face. He must not have been passed out! He must have heard her say she was moving home! Oh God, this was not when she wanted this to happen. Clare felt tears well up in her eyes and she hid her face in her arms to cover up her face. She had wanted to pick a day when it was just the two of them and explain everything to him as best as she could. She definitely didn't want him to find out like this. She couldn't imagine how hurt he must feel right now. He must think that she was just going to up and leave. Clare got up, tears threatening to fall at any moment, and headed the direction where he had gone. She shoved past groups of people, dancing to the obnoxiously loud rap music. Clare searched the entire main room of the apartment. She didn't see Casey anywhere. Clare then headed to the table where she had last seen Jaime. Clare breathed a sigh of relief when she saw Jaime still sitting there, talking to the same guy.

"Jaime!" she shouted, smacking Jaime on the shoulder. Jaime turned around and gave her a 'what the hell' look, which quickly faded into a concerned look when she saw how distraught Clare looked.

"What is it sweetie?" Jaime said, hopping up, but stumbling a little bit.

"Have you seen Casey?" Clare asked, her voice cracking when she said his name.

Jaime shook her head. "What happened? Did you two get in a fight?"

"I just need to find him. H-he couldn't have gone far. I have his keys."

"Then I guess the party's over for me." Jaime said, shooting an apologetic look at the guy she had been talking to. "C'mon. My bet is he is outside, waiting for you to drive him home."

Clare doubted in. The few times Casey and her had gotten in any sort of fight, he had ignored her for days. Clare had to practically break into his apartment and force him to talk to her in order to fix things.

"I need to find him Jaime. I just screwed things up so badly."

"You will fix it sweetie. I promise."

**A/N: Woo, first chapter! I'm actually pretty proud of this one; I worked pretty hard on it. Just so you know, the format of this story is going to be switching from telling Clare's story one chapter, then Eli's story the next. So next chapter will be ELI! Please review and follow me on Tumblr, I would love to interact with all my readers on there. Oh, and I follow back. (:**

**Tumblr – stevie-spectacularrr**


End file.
